Crystal Tears
by malachite157
Summary: With four magical babies to protect, the Charmed family are tired, stressed and worn. They decide they need to take certain measures to ensure the safety of their children and employ some interesting help... Fifth in a series.
1. Chapter 1

**Crystal Tears**

**Writer's Note:** This fic marks either the last or the penultimate fic in this series, and a prelude to a follow-up series. It takes place roughly a year and 9 months after the birth of Sky. Wyatt has been born and has displayed the same amount of power as he did in the TV series and has warranted quite a lot of attention from the demonic world, but not a visit from Future Chris as the future in my series is different. Sky has achieved less attention, as he has become somewhat of a legend in the Underworld for the massacre of several hundred demons.

**Chapter 1**: Double Whammy

Nobody was sure if it was fate, the fulfilment of a prophecy or just an incredible coincidence, but one thing was certain: when Phoebe and Piper were rushed into hospital to have their respective children at roughly the same time, everyone was surprised.

The Halliwell Manor had been a whirlwind of chaos the moment Piper's water broke, which fast evolved into a hurricane of frantic activity when Phoebe complained of the same thing. Husbands, aunts and uncles scurried around the two powerful witches, fretting over whether to take a conventional route to the hospital or to orb over there. At the very last minute, it was decided that Paige would have to stay behind and babysit Wyatt and Sky and before she had a chance to protest, the house was empty of all her sisters and brothers-in-law.

Paige sighed with disappointment; it wasn't that she disliked looking after her nephews, it was just that she had missed the birth of Sky, barely managed to catch Wyatt's and now she was losing out on the chance to see the births of two more family members. She wanted to be in on all the excitement! But as it was very much a couple affair and husbands' attendance wasn't negotiable, the duty fell to her and she simply had to deal with it.

She walked into the nursery and saw that Wyatt was still fast asleep in his cot and that Sky was still very active in his playpen. How Wyatt slept through Sky's loud exclamations to everything he did, she did not know.

"Bah!" Sky announced as Paige approached him. He held up a large plastic duck for her to inspect.

"Duck," Paige replied, stepping into the playpen and reaching for the toy. She gently took hold of it and Sky released his grip. He was sometimes very defensive with his toys. "Duck," she repeated, trying to get his word count from six to seven. He was developing at a slightly faster rate than normal, but considering all the intelligence he'd displayed whilst still in the womb, this did not surprise her.

"Mamma?" he inquired.

"Mamma has gone to collect your new…" she paused, unsure of what word to use, seeing as Cole and Phoebe had wanted the gender to be a surprise.

"Sibling," she settled. Sky gave her a confused look and pointed insistently at the duck.

"Bah! Bah!"

"Duck," Paige gesticulated at the plastic animal.

Sky flopped down on his bottom and stared thoughtfully at her, wide, blue eyes glinting in the morning sunshine.

"Dah…"

Paige gasped. "Duck!" she reiterated hopefully.

"Da-dah!"

"Du---ohh, you want to know where daddy is, huh?"

"Dadda!"

"Daddy went with Mommy to collect your sibling. They'll be home soon, sweetheart."

Paige picked up another toy, this time a cartoon-esque purple car. "Can you say Car? Car?" she kept trying.

Sky shook his head in disapproval.

She lifted a toy aeroplane. "Plane? Aeroplane?"

Sky started to look bored.

A little frustrated, she picked up a toy dog. Before she had a chance to state the object's name, Sky exclaimed enthusiastically: "DUCK!"

"No, no, DOG."

"Duck!"

"Doooog."

"Duck duck duck!" He fell over, erupting into happy giggles. Paige flopped down from her crouching position and sat somewhat dejectedly. "Great, now he's going to be calling all canines ducks for the rest of his youth. Way to go, Paige. Way to go."

* * * * * * *

By the afternoon, Paige had received word that both her sisters had had their babies and that there had been no complications with Phoebe but some difficulty with Piper's son. However, both children were born healthy and Phoebe was well enough to come home that night, while Piper was kept overnight for observation. Leo stayed with her.

That evening, Cole and Phoebe, who had been keeping Paige in suspense as to the gender of their newborn, came home with a baby girl. Paige felt as if her heart was melting the moment she laid eyes on her.

"A girl! A beautiful little girl! Oh, Phoebe, well done!" she cried, cooing over and gently touching the forehead of the tiny person. Cole was cradling the child while Phoebe watched both tiredly and lovingly.

"What do I need a congratulations for? This was such an easy pregnancy: no morning sickness, little pain and a quick birth. Not to mention it was planned, too. She's the one who needs to be praised!"

"You were so good to your mommy!" Paige informed her niece. "How are Piper and her son?"

"They're doing fine. Piper's should be out tomorrow evening," Phoebe said, punctuating her sentence with an uncontrollable yawn.

"Would you like to hold her, Paige? I need to get Phoebe to bed. She's exhausted," Cole said.

Paige nodded enthusiastically. As she took the infant carefully, she asked: "Does she have a name yet?"

Phoebe and Cole exchanged knowing glances. Phoebe smiled warmly at her sister and said: "Crystal."

"Crystal," Paige whispered, staring adoringly at her niece. She wandered off back to the nursery in a daze.

"Paige is unbelievably good with our children," Phoebe said to Cole.

"Can't argue with you there. She's been terrific, although I do wonder about how much babysitting eats up of her time. She has expressed on more than one occasion that she misses working and is finding it hard to see Gareth."

"Ah yes, handsome Gareth," Phoebe mused, recalling an image in her mind of Paige's charming boyfriend.

"Has handsome become his first name?" Cole questioned playfully. She batted him on the arm softly. "Oh, quiet you. In any case, I do agree. Paige needs to have time to have a life of her own. She cannot be expected to be a fulltime nanny. Maybe we should consider hiring one."

"Maybe," Cole muttered, small fears and worries tickling at the back of his mind at the suggestion. Aside from Phoebe's sisters and Leo, he simply did not trust anyone else with his children, and with good reason, he thought.

"Let's get you to bed. You've had one heck of a day," Cole insisted. Phoebe nodded sleepily. "I wish I had more energy. I just want to hold her forever and never let her go."

Cole smiled and took her upstairs. She lay down on the bed and fell asleep almost immediately. He then went downstairs and relieved Paige of her babysitting duties. Three hours after Paige had gone to sleep, Cole finally left the nursery. He was feeling so protective of his children, particularly his daughter, who all throughout Phoebe's pregnancy had showed no power at all. He wondered if she was going to develop like a normal witch and if his demonic powers had not affected her, since they were, technically, add-ons and not the powers he was born with and had stripped. He mostly viewed this as a good thing, although at times like this, he rather wished Crystal had something with which to protect herself.

Before he went to bed, he tucked in Sky, whose cot was right beside his sister's in an attempt to get him used to her. For the next few days, they intended to stay in the Manor, for safety reasons. The nursery had proven an excellent place for Sky and Wyatt to bond.

"Goodnight little sir," he whispered and kissed Sky on the forehead. "Duck," he mumbled sleepily in reply. Cole frowned, puzzled, then shrugged and went upstairs to bed.

* * * * * * *

**The Following Day:**

The sun had just sunk behind the houses opposite the Manor when Piper and Leo returned home with baby Chris. Paige sprang on them the moment they set foot inside and eagerly took hold of the baby when Piper offered. "He was reluctant to come out, but now he's here I'm sure he'll realize it wasn't such a bad thing that he finally did, especially with an aunt as cool as you, Paige," Piper said, thoroughly enjoying watching her sister pamper the newborn.

After dinner, the family gathered in the living room for a talk about the two new additions to the family and how that was going to affect their schedules.

Cole couldn't get enough of his new daughter and was bouncing her lightly in his arms, whilst Leo was playing with Wyatt and Paige was still clinging to Chris.

"This feels like a day-care centre," Piper said, watching Sky warily while he ran by making loud noises as he pretended to be some sort of animal, she assumed.

"Sky, come here," his father called to him. "Come meet your little sister."

Sky paused in his play and the family fell silent. He tilted his head to one side, curiously and a little shyly.

"Come to daddy, come see your sister," Cole encouraged.

With hesitant steps, the infant made his way to his father and peered down at the baby.

"Duck!" he suddenly exclaimed.

"Oh no," Paige muttered.

"Duck? No, no, Crystal. Her name is Crystal," Cole insisted.

"Duck duck!" Sky exclaimed and then paused abruptly when Crystal yawned and blinked up at her brother. Sky placed his hand on her torso and smiled. "Baby."

Cole smiled and patted his son on the head. "Baby will do."

"It's better than duck! Why does he keep calling everything a duck?" Phoebe asked.

Paige groaned and mumbled something, but Piper was growing impatient to change the subject to more important matters and interjected before anyone else could question further.

"Right, we have two infants and two babies. So far, Wyatt has exercised a lot more power than Sky, but then, I suppose, he's had to considering all the demonic attention he's been receiving. Now we have Chris in the Manor, this attention could increase. We need to figure out what to do with these kids when the rest of us have to go to work."

"And a regular daycare is definitely out," Phoebe said as Wyatt telekinetically played with his toys.

"I could take care of them, although I don't know if I'm really all that good at the job," Paige said.

"No, no, Paige, we don't want that responsibility to fall on you all the time. You've been a wonderful help for all of us, but at the cost of your job and social life. We can't expect that of you all the time," Phoebe said gently.

"It would be nice to have a job again," Paige mused.

Leo piped up, "I'm around most of the time, but I do frequently and suddenly get called 'up there' or have to answer the call of a charge. It's times like that when Paige's help has been indispensable."

"Maybe we should consider getting a professional babysitter, then? One of the magical type," Phoebe suggested.

Piper looked at her husband. "Do such people exist?"

Leo nodded. "Yes, but I wonder how many will be up to the challenge of looking after these four."

"And they'd have to be tough enough to stand up to a demonic attack. Whoever takes the job has to be trustworthy, good with kids and good with magic," Paige said.

"Considering half the Underworld are after Wyatt and that the Elders aren't especially keen on his existence either, finding someone we can trust is going to be the hardest thing. I'm not prepared to leave my children in the care of anyone I don't trust completely," Cole said with a defensive edge to his voice.

"I have maternity leave for a while," Phoebe reminded them. "But eventually I will need to go back to work. I should use the time off to teach the new babysitter about the kids and also watch her and suss her out. That way, when the time comes for me to return to my job, I'll know for sure whether or not she's a good person."

There was a thoughtful silence. Piper broke it: "Phoebe's got the best idea. We can hire a magical babysitter, or at least try a few out and she can assess whether or not they're good for the job. We continue what we've been doing: leaving the kids at the Manor during the day under the care of one of us, but with additional help, if we can only find it."

"I can find a list of good magical babysitters," Leo offered.

"That'd be great hunny, assuming we all agree?" Piper looked around the room. Phoebe nodded, Paige shrugged and nodded once but it was Cole who looked reluctant.

"Cole?" she pressed.

He sighed and looked at his wife. "Well, if Phoebe's going to be the judge on who we hire…then I guess I'm fine with it too. I trust her judgement."

Phoebe leaned back in the sofa and uttered: "Good! All settled. Leo can find one and we can test her!"

"It has to be a her?" Paige said.

"YES," everyone else said in unison.

"Okay, okay, was just trying to be politically correct," she muttered.

Phoebe glanced over at her son, who was still staring intently at his little sister, gently stroking the wisps of black hair on her head. She was staring equally intently back at him, rich green eyes alight with alertness. She wondered if on some level they were communicating with each other.

Wyatt broke her reverie when he fell after running after his telepathically flown aeroplane. He cried a little, rubbing his eyes and beating the ground a little crossly.

"Okay mister, time for bed," Leo said as he got up from his sofa and scooped up the child.

"Yeah, it's best we get back home. We can't keep sleeping in Wyatt's room and forcing him to stay down here in the nursery!" Cole said. They'd been doing as much only for a few days as a precaution; during such a vulnerable time for the sisters, it was considered best everyone stay together until both the babies were born.

The family bade each other good night and Cole and Phoebe left with their two children.

After Leo had put Wyatt to sleep in what used to be Phoebe's room, he moved Chris's cot upstairs too, feeling happier that the brothers were together. He was warned by doctors that there may be some sibling rivalry, especially from Wyatt who would be jealous of all the attention Chris was getting, but so far Wyatt had displayed little interest or awareness of his sibling, unlike Sky who seemed quite taken with his sister.

As he and Piper got into bed, he said: "It will be nice that Crystal and Chris will be growing up together."

"Yeah, it will. I wonder about Crystal, though. She hasn't shown an inkling of power."

"Neither has Chris, but we can assume it's there, it's just latent. Neither of them were twice-blessed children like Wyatt," Leo pointed out.

"Or born from one of the most powerful demons in history," Piper noted as she turned out the light.

"Sky is nearly two and he's been really well-behaved. It's…quite puzzling, in some ways. You'd think after all the power he exhibited whilst Phoebe was pregnant, particularly the sort of power, he'd be more of a challenge to them."

"Hmm," Piper mumbled sleepily. Leo ceased any more discussion about their children and let his wife doze off to sleep. Before she was completely asleep, though, he whispered, "I'm so proud of you."

She smiled and drifted off peacefully.

* * * * * * *

That same night, a thirty-five year old witch named Cassandra Vallo was in her kitchen when a demon attacked her. She had been making vials of powerful potions, a job she was particularly good at, when he shimmered right beside her just as she took a step towards her cupboard. In the second it took for her to swivel and gasp at him, he had grabbed her throat. In that same instant, she smashed the bottle of potion she had been holding, newly made, onto his side. It burned an acidic hole into his lower ribs and he screamed out and let her go. She called for her whitelighter. The trap was set, and when the whitelighter came onto the scene, two more demons and a darklighter appeared and destroyed them both.

Cassandra's body was incinerated, but the whitelighter's was kept in tact.

When the Elders sent someone to investigate later that night, they found the dead body of their colleague and a weeping witch at his side. She looked like Cassandra, spoke like Cassandra, but was not Cassandra. Only, they did not know this. They believed her story about an attack that took them both by surprise and offered her protection. She declined, saying that the demons who attacked were comrades of an old enemy of hers and that she had vanquished them all. After much questioning, she was left to grieve while they took the body of the whitelighter away. Once they were out of sight, she wiped the crocodile tears from her face and carefully stashed away the potions. She was going to need them.

* * * * * * *

A week later, when Cole got home from work, he found Phoebe on the couch looking tired and frazzled. Her hair was a mess and her clothes dishevelled. For a moment, Cole wondered if she'd been in a fight with demons.

"Are you…okay?" he asked as he put his briefcase down.

She did not look up at him, but instead gestured at the ceiling. Cole looked up and let out a small cry. "What the hell?! What's he DOING up there!"

"Ask him. Every time I try to get him down, he shimmers somewhere else and then levitates to that ceiling," Phoebe replied wearily. "Like he has been all. Day."

Sky looked down at his father and greeted him with a broad smile. "Da-dah."

Cole blinked, surprised. "I guess his powers have finally kicked in again."

"Yep." Phoebe replied.

"Sky, come down from the ceiling and give your dad a kiss," Cole coaxed gently.

Sky hesitated and looked over at his mother. Cole sussed out what was going on.

"Phoebe, you mind leaving the room for a minute?"

She looked at him and scowled. "Why?"

"Just…wanna try something."

With a hefty sigh she stood up and walked into the next room.

"Sky, mommy's left the room now. How about you come down now and give daddy a kiss?" he tried again.

With a cheeky grin, Sky relaxed his levitation and descended gently into his father's arms. Cole smiled and tickled him and Sky erupted into giggles. He wrapped his tiny arms around his neck and cooed happily. "Okay, you gonna stay down now?" he asked. Sky looked at him and simpered.

"Come back in, Phoebe."

Phoebe walked in and Sky began to struggle. "No, Sky…stay he---agh," Cole grumbled as Sky shimmered back up to the ceiling.

"See?" Phoebe threw up her arms in frustration. "He hates me. He's been tormenting me all day."

"That's weird. He's usually so good."

"Yeah, well today he's been a right little demon!" Phoebe responded crossly. Her frustration was evidently very large as Phoebe normally flew into rages when anyone else called her son a demon.

"Well something must have triggered it. Did you try to do anything that seemed to irk him?'

Phoebe shrugged. "I dunno. He kept toddling over to Crystal's cot and trying to play with her, even when she was sleeping. I kept putting him back in the corner and the process would start again, until I put him in his cot and bam! Powers switched on. Since then, he's been trying to escape me all day."

"Has to be hungry, then."

"No," Phoebe said lightly. "When I bribed him with a bottle of milk, he simply telekinetically took it from me."

Cole gaped. "He what?"

"Oh yeah. Not only have his previous powers returned with a vengeance, but he has displayed a brand new one, taken after his aunt Paige. What baby wants, baby gets. The novelty of this new power of his has worn off pretty quickly for me."

"I wonder what has kick-started everything. Why now? Why the power-surge?" Cole asked no one in particular.

Phoebe rubbed her temples. "I don't know, but I also don't believe in coincidences. He's become magically active at about the same time his baby sister has arrived into the world and he's obsessively interested in her. I think there's something to that other than curiosity."

"You could be onto something. We should call Leo and ask."

"Oh yeah, maybe Leo will have an easier time getting him DOWN," she glared up at her son, who smirked back.

"Why not put Crystal's cot right next to his? I know we've been keeping her in our room for protection, but if his powers are in swing again, he can do the protecting. It also will give him what he seems to want, which is her company."

Phoebe mulled it over and then agreed. "Okay, but I'm gonna keep the baby monitor against my ear all night. I still feel really worried about her being so vulnerable."

Cole understood and gave his wife a cuddle. "I know, but we've got to be able to give our children space to be, well, children. Otherwise they'll grow up stifled."

When Phoebe glanced up from the embrace, she noted Sky was gone. "Sky?" she called out. A happy giggle greeted her from her bedroom and she groaned. "There he goes again."

* * * * * * *

Leo answered the phone with Wyatt balanced in one arm and a shopping bag in the other. "Hello?"

"Hi Leo! It's Phoebe. Erm, quick question…"

Wyatt flailed impatiently and smacked Leo in the mouth with his hand. He grunted. "Y-yeah?"

"Sky's powers just…came online…today and I was wondering if that may have had anything to do with the birth of his sister?"

Leo thought for a moment and Wyatt exclaimed, "Fifi!" his attempt at saying Phoebe's name. He recognized her voice even on the phone.

"Aww," Phoebe cooed.

"You know, you and your sisters are connected to your powers emotionally, and you're also linked to each other by them. Maybe some of that connection was passed onto your son in terms of his relationship with his sister. Maybe her presence gives him…emotional strength and a boost in powers. In fact…"

"In fact?" Phoebe pressed and heard Leo putting Wyatt down and shouting, "Don't run!" He stifled a sigh before replying. "In fact, I've heard of sibling relationships where one is the booster for another's powers. They work at their best when together, as one works as a magical amplifier to the other's strengths. It's possible that that is what Crystal's power is. She's an aide to her brother."

"Which would explain why he's been so obsessed with being near her all the time. Huh."

Leo frowned. "So how much have Sky's powers come into action?"

"Oh, he's shimmering and using telekinesis and-and levitating to the ceiling! He's a nightmare to control!"

"Welcome to our world. Piper and I have our hands full with Wyatt conjuring up stuff that amuses him from TV and books. Piper's worried he's going to conjure up a dinosaur or something one day."

Phoebe would have laughed were it not so strong a possibility. Instead, she grumbled: "Well I suppose it's our own fault having kids when we're all so magical. Now we've got to deal with the consequences---whoa!"

"Phoebe, are you ok?" Leo asked with concern.

"Oh…oh…oh yeah, yeah I'm fine. But Cole… ha ha! Cole's covered in baby food. Okay, um, thanks Leo. I'll discuss it with Cole and if there are any more developments I'll let you know."

"Keep a diary or something. It's important to track changes in them," Leo advised quite seriously.

"Gotcha. Thanks Leo."

"Bye."

* * * * * * *

Situations did not improve for the Halliwells. One evening when they all went out for a family outing to a show in town and left their kids in a magic day care center for two hours, they came back to find the nannies covered in paint, the play area a complete wreck and scorch marks on the walls. Apparently, Sky had burped out a flame, which delighted Wyatt, who then responded by blowing spit bubbles that made loud bangs when they popped. The carers told off the parents soundly that they were never babysitting their offspring again.

Every day it seemed the children were developing new powers or at least figuring out creative ways to use their existing ones. And word quickly spread in the magic world what little headaches they could be and soon babysitters were putting the phone down before Phoebe or Piper could get past the first sentence. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Ok Leo, you have GOT to find an Elder-approved, tough-as-nails, loves-kids-no-matter –what, magical kick-ass nanny _soon_ before we go out of our minds! Paige has just gotten accepted for a job and won't be able to look out for the kids and Phoebe and I are exhausted twenty-four seven."

Piper was ranting in their bedroom as she got ready for bed. Up until fairly recently, Wyatt had been troublesome but only occasionally. Now he was constantly getting up to mischievous, particularly when Sky was around; it was obvious that they encouraged each other. Teaching infants to use their powers wisely was proving to be far more difficult than they realized, not helped by the knowledge that now they had two more ticking magic time bombs in the forms of Chris and Crystal.

"Piper, we've gone through every babysitter and nanny I know! I just don't think there are any more out there who are…" he trailed off when he saw the familiar look of explosive "I'm fed-up!" rage creeping into his wife's gaze. "I'll look again."

And he did look. And he found an available sitter, one who was well known in esteemed circles as being a very good witch and carer. She had saved the lives of magical children for a family of witches she was friendly with and had since then dedicated her time to perfecting her craft to protect the future generations. As luck would have it, she had just relocated to San Francisco and was available on a near full-time basis. When Leo presented this option to Piper she welcomed it and both she and Phoebe agreed to take turns in working with the sitter so that they could help her learn ways in which to deal with their kids and also to gauge how trustworthy she was. Before they left her alone with their babies, they were going to make perfectly sure they had a good apple.

She arrived two days later, neatly dressed and with a basket full of playthings she said were guaranteed to hold the attention of the little ones whilst also training them to use their powers skilfully and not recklessly. She demonstrated the use of these toys and the mothers were impressed. They agreed to take her on for a trial. When asked of her name, she said she preferred her middle name, which was Julia.

Julia was around Piper's age and had soft curly blond hair and petite frame. She had a kind face but a firm way about her and an aura that commanded respect. At first the children played the same tricks on her as they did on their parents, but over time she showed them how to do useful things with their abilities and gradually they grew interested in what she had to say. Julia confirmed that Sky's powers were indeed enhanced by the presence of his younger sister, but that it was part of their combined gift and that the sooner he learned to control and respect it, the better. She helped Phoebe tame Sky's behaviour and tone down his constant need to be with his sibling by taking him out of the room and away from her and distracting him with captivating things. In short, she performed miracles and within a month had transformed the little rebels into obedient, budding magical beings. The Halliwells were thrilled.

* * * * * * *

Paige Matthews, on the other hand, was sceptical. She had gone back to work but not without regretting, to some degree, the relinquishing of her job of raising the most powerful witches in existence. Looking after Piper and Phoebe's children had been, in her mind, an honour and she was somewhat envious and resentful of the new nanny. Just as she had been suspicious of Cole when he joined the family, she was now suspicious of Julia. The carer had done nothing to warrant such scrutiny and Paige had to admit she was faultless in almost every way. But there was something about how she was too perfect, about her convenient relocation to San Francisco that made her wonder. She thought she had something on her when one day she came back from work early and found a strange man standing outside the door talking with her in a very familiar fashion.

"Oh, hi Paige!" Julia called out pleasantly when she approached the entrance to the Manor.

"Julia, shouldn't you be inside looking after the kids?" Paige asked.

"Oh they're all asleep now and Phoebe's home. No need to worry."

Paige eyed the tall man. He had bright green eyes and dark hair and a handsome face. He looked at her with a glint of something strange in his gaze. Paige wondered if it were fear…

"And this is?" Paige asked.

"Oh!" Julia laughed. "This is my friend and whitelighter Valentino. He just dropped by to chat since it's been a while. With no demonic attacks since I came to the Manor, it's been a while since we saw each other."

"Pleased to meet you," Valentino said and stretched out his hand. Paige took it slowly and shook it. "Likewise," she said uncertainly.

"Funny, Julia, you never mentioned you had a whitelighter."

Julia blushed briefly. "I didn't no. I'm sorry, I should have mentioned him earlier."

Paige felt a twinge of guilt at putting such a seemingly nice woman on the spot. She eyed up Valentino once more, quickly, and the pushed past to get to the door. "Well I'll leave you two to it."

"See you tomorrow, Paige. I'm going home now. Leo's going to be back from an assignment any minute now so Phoebe said I didn't need to hang around any longer today."

Paige nodded with a strained smile and entered the manor. She found Phoebe dozing in the nursery, Crystal asleep in her arms.

"Pheebs?"

"Hmm? What?" Phoebe stirred. She saw Paige and smiled sleepily.

"Oh hey."

"Hey," Paige whispered and knelt beside her. "I just met _Valentino_," she told her sister with an Italian flair to the name.

"Sexy, isn't he? Pity he doesn't actually have an accent to go with the exotic name." Phoebe grinned.

"You've met him? What do you think?" Paige asked.

"He seems nice enough. I didn't see him come in. I just walked in on Julia talking to him in the kitchen but she seemed really relaxed about it and explained who he was. Makes sense, I guess. Most witches have a whitelighter and he's added protection if things go wrong."

"Yeah but he's also a new person, someone we've not checked out and who has had the audacity to come into our home unannounced," Paige voiced her concern.

"Oh Paige, Julia's been nothing but a saint. It's not like we caught her making out with a secret boyfriend while on duty. He's her _whitelighter_!"

"When I see him orb, he'll be her whitelighter," Paige muttered and stood up. She looked over at Wyatt, who was snoozing with his arm draped over his eyes. Sky was in the crib next to him, dreaming by the looks of things as his eyes moved beneath the lids. Chris too was soundly asleep. They all looked so peaceful.

"Well, I guess I can't deny that the woman's got talent. They're perfect little angels lately, aren't they?"

"Hmm," Phoebe murmured as she let her eyelids close. The afternoon sun filtering in through the window gave the room a warm glow and cosy atmosphere and Paige could imagine herself falling asleep in here soon of she didn't get back to work. She'd brought home some stuff from the office that she wanted to sort through in the comfort of her house. Quietly, she slipped out the room and went upstairs, but not without casting a glance in the direction of the front door. There were no silhouettes peering through the stained glass and she guessed Julia and her Valentino had gone.

* * * * * * *

For the first time in over a year, a demon struck with intention to get to a Charmed infant. An attack came late at night at Phoebe and Cole's apartment. Phoebe lurched up in bed moments before the attack with a premonition of a demon shimmering into the nursery. She didn't have time to ponder over whether it was a nightmare or not. Instead, she leapt out of bed, cried out to her husband and rushed over to the next room just in time to see a demon leaning over Sky's cot. The little boy was deep asleep and evidently hadn't been given the same premonition. "GET AWAY FROM THEM!" Phoebe snarled and kicked out at the demon. He stumbled back and crashed into the playpen. Crystal and Sky awoke, the former crying while the latter sat up, startled and dazed. The first thing his eyes focussed on was his father as he rushed in, energy ball in hand. The demon shimmered just as Cole's energy ball collided with his shoulder. He vanished, but via shimmer, not vanquish.

Phoebe hurried over to Sky who was still looking really surprised at everything. Crystal was wailing and as Sky turned to look at her, tears started brimming in his eyes too. "Baby!" he cried out and flailed towards his sister. Cole checked the room to make sure no one was hiding in there and then left to explore the rest of the penthouse. "Shh, shh-shh, calm down," Phoebe whispered to Sky but he was still reaching out for his sibling. She set him down in Crystal's cot and immediately they both went silent. Cole came back in, worried by the sudden cessation of cries.

"Did you see anyone?" Phoebe asked anxiously.

"No. Are they all right?" he said and he peered down into the crib.

"Yeah. They are when they're together," Phoebe answered and joined him in marvelling over the tender bond between the siblings.

"Who was that? Did you recognise the demon?" Phoebe said.

"No. I just know he's not dead. We only wounded him. How did you know---"

"Premonition," she replied. "A short-hand premonition, which is strange because I haven't had one of those since I was pregnant with Sky and he was asleep when I came in so he obviously didn't get the same one. I don't understand it. It's like…like someone else knew and tried to warn me."

"But who could, who _would_ do that? Shorthand premonitions are rare powers. I mean, apart from Sky, I don't actually know anyone who has that gift," Cole said with a frown.

"We need to talk to my sisters. Get the phone. They may be at risk, too." Phoebe uttered with rising concern.

* * *

When Cole dialled no one picked up, which was an alarming sign. "No one is answering."

"Leo!" Phoebe hollered. He did not appear and she tried again. "Leo!!"

"Ok Cole, something's wrong. We need to find out what and fast."

"I can get there fastest, but I don't want to leave you here alone when there's a demon after you all," Cole worried.

"No, you go, go now. I'll be fine. Sky's fully awake now. He should be able to defend himself if it comes to that."

"Phoebe…"

"Just go! They could be in big trouble!!"

Cole shimmered away and Phoebe snapped on the light, looking about nervously. If any demon so much as dared to put a foot in her home, she thought furiously, she would send them straight to hell.

Meanwhile, the half-demon had arrived in the midst of chaos at the Halliwell manor. He heard a baby's cries coming from upstairs and Piper shouting, "Leo, watch out!!"

He rushed toward their position just in time to watch Piper blowing up a demon. His scream echoed hauntingly in the room for several seconds after his demise. Leo was rubbing his head and getting up off the floor. The children were nowhere to be seen.

"What happened? Where are Wyatt and Chris?" Cole asked anxiously.

"They're with Paige. She orbed them out of here when the demons started attacking," Piper answered, a murderous look on her face, but it was directed at evil in general and not at Cole. "Demons? How many?"

"Wait, how did you know we were being attacked?" Leo asked as he came to his wife's side. The two of them were flushed from the heat of battle and a bit dishevelled, but otherwise looked fine. "We got attacked too. Phoebe had a premonition of someone coming after Sky and got there in the nick of time. I phoned to see if you were all right but when no one answered, well…"

"Thanks, but you missed the action. Are Phoebe and the family okay?" Piper asked.

"For now yeah. But this was co-ordinated. We were both attacked simultaneously to prevent us from being able to help each other."

"Great! Another organized demonic plan very nearly executed to perfection. It was only because Paige was walking to the bathroom that she saw the demons shimmer into the babies room!" Piper exclaimed hotly.

"There were several of them, presumably to overpower Wyatt's force field," Leo explained. "If it weren't for Paige…"

"Where is Paige?" Piper wondered. "Where did she take them?"

Leo closed his eyes briefly. "She's with Phoebe. You must have just missed each other, Cole."

"Ok, well, I'll go back and tell her the coast's clear."

"Is it?" Piper questioned. "I mean, what's to say they aren't just regrouping and preparing for another attack?"

"Then we should stay together. We have strength in numbers," Leo advised.

"Ok I'll just…bring everyone back here, then," Cole said with some distaste. He was getting tired of bunking at the Manor. He felt that the measures they had to take as a collective family to protect their children were impeding on their individual family lives, and it irked him. The irritation was not only his; all of them were vying for a somewhat normal life. Between Wyatt's being the centre of demonic attention and the necessary hiring of a super nanny due to their kids' growing powers, no one had been getting a very good night's sleep lately.

"This is ridiculous! We can't be awake twenty-four seven!" Piper erupted after Cole shimmered out. "And no baby should have to be, either. Wyatt's force field's only going up when he's conscious of danger. Not much he can do when he's unconscious."

"How did Phoebe know about the attack? Cole made it sound like she got it just before."

"Maybe Sky forewarned her. He did that before when she was pregnant with him."

"Yeah, maybe…" Leo murmured, but he knew something was amiss.

"What are we going to do, Leo? We need to find out who's after the kids this time, and maybe we will, but there'll be a next time and another and another and I just don't know how long we can continue in this fashion and not go insane! Or worse, lose a battle to them. I can't…I can't even imagine…" she stuttered, getting emotional as the shock of what had just occurred started to kick in. Leo drew her close to him and sighed. "We'll find a way. We always have done. We're a powerful family and demons know that. I'm surprised it's taken this long for them to go for Sky."

"Yeah but they have less reservations about Wyatt. His reputation as a future threat precedes him, unlike Sky's notoriety of having already performed his scary act of the century." Piper pointed out.

At that moment Paige orbed in with the children and Phoebe and Cole shimmered in with their family as well.

Wyatt tottered over to Piper who scooped him up in her arms. "My poor little boy. What nightmares you must have," she said with tears choking her voice. "It's not fair."

Paige agreed. "No, it's not. This time it came too close. It was pure luck that I checked in on my way to the bathroom tonight. Wyatt and Chris were completely unaware and that scares me."

"Maybe we should start casting protection spells over their rooms," Phoebe said.

"Well according to Cole your short-hand premonition worked just as well," Leo stated. All eyes were on Phoebe. "Well don't look at me! I've no idea how I got it. I presumed it was from Sky but he was fast asleep too when we came to the rescue."

"Perhaps he dreamt it and telepathically transferred it to you? Prue dreamt her Astral form into action. Technically it's a mind power. The mind's active even when the body is not," Leo noted.

"Either that or someone else sent it to me," Phoebe wondered. Crystal began to cry with irritation, evidently over-tired, and in the process set off Chris.

"Okay well, until we figure it all out, we need someone to volunteer a night vigil over all these unhappy babies," Piper sighed wearily.

"I'll do it," Phoebe said. "No way I'm going to be able to sleep again tonight."

"I know what you mean," Piper grumbled. There was an unspoken understanding between the two mothers at just how they felt about raising such high-profile children.

Phoebe pulled up a chair and one by one the others left to get some rest. Phoebe indeed remained alert the entire night and no one else slept soundly either.

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

**Crystal Tears**

**Author's note: **_This fanfic is part of a series. If you have not read the previous fics, it could get quite confusing. The series is in this order: Charmed to Darkness, Chasing Shadows, Into the Unknown, Warning Signs and Crystal Tears. Feedback is always appreciated. :)_

**Chapter 2:** Facts and Theories

Paige was unable to concentrate at work the next day and her mind kept replaying the words Phoebe had spoken about the shorthand premonition. They had never discovered who had rescued Phoebe from her near-death experience with cyanide and now, it would seem, someone anonymous was helping them again. Leo's explanation about a dreamt premonition was plausible, she admitted, but she was more inclined to think that the two incidents were related. In both cases, Phoebe had received a shorthand premonition and in both cases Sky was at risk. Either someone good was watching over them, or someone who didn't want any harm to come to Sky for shadier reasons.

As much as she adored her nephew, she could never file away the knowledge that he was bred from one of the most powerful demons in recent history. Cole had finally earned her trust. He'd been with Phoebe for a few years and fought in many battles with them and it would be ridiculous to suspect him of any involvement in the world of evil anymore. However, that didn't mean the world of evil didn't want to involve itself with him or, rather, his offspring. Just as Wyatt was a potential tool for Evil to use, so was Sky, and the latter would potentially be easier to utilize, being part demon and all. Sky had been exhibiting some of his demonic behaviour lately by shimmering and burping up fireballs. She wondered whether his sudden demonic activity and the attack were also somehow related.

By the time she returned home from work she had a number of ideas, theories and worries buzzing around in her head. She knew her sisters were equally concerned about the attack and who was behind it, but broaching the subject of Sky's demonic side was not easy. Phoebe was never pleased to hear it and it frightened Piper too, who was aware at just how interactive the two young cousins were. She wouldn't admit it, but she did feel some anxiety at letting her baby son play with Sky when he was exhibiting traits that Wyatt was supposed to associate with bad guys. The message, she worried, would be confusing. She had shared this anxiety in confidence to Leo once, unaware that Paige was within earshot. The youngest sister had never brought it up to her.

_Well,_ Paige thought, _we can't pussyfoot around sensitive issues like these forever, especially when they could play some relevant part in the events of late._ She resolved to talk to the family about it later that evening.

*

To her mild annoyance, she found Piper already in consultation with Julia. The two of them were in the living room, Wyatt and Chris with them, discussing the attack.

"So you're fine with being alone with them for periods of time even though there could be demonic attacks?" Piper was asking her as Paige walked in.

"What good would a magical babysitter be if she wasn't prepared to deal with demons? It was part of the job description. I'm here to protect your children from harm and that's exactly what I'll do, whenever you need me."

Piper turned to Paige an explained unnecessarily, "I was just telling Julia about the attack and making sure she was fine to continue."

"I am," Julia confirmed, shooting Paige a warm smile.

"I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into," Paige said as she approached the sofa and flumped down beside her sister. "Because we don't. Did Piper mention we have no clue as to who attacked us?"

Piper looked askance at Paige. "You sound perky. Good day at the office?"

"Ha, ha. I'm just saying we don't know what force we're up against."

"Or," Piper cut in, partly in an effort to keep Julia from changing her mind, "It may have been a random evil grab to get at our children that failed. No bigger plot other than that the demonic world would prefer that our kids were not in existence."

"Yeah except there was nothing random about it. There were two attacks co-ordinated at the same time and then there was that warning Phoebe got which, I might add, we still don't have any clear explanation for," Paige pressed on.

"A warning?" Julia queried with a look of mild surprise and curiosity.

"Yes, a warning, the type of which Phoebe doesn't usually get. Do you know anything about shorthand premonitions and tele…" Paige cut herself short. She was being unfairly aggressive towards Julia due to her own unfounded suspicions. Aware of her hostility, she toned down. She was also silently berating herself for divulging more information than Julia needed to know.

"Oh it's nothing of any relevance to your role here, Julia," Piper rescued the conversation. "The whole night was a bit of a confusing blur. All we're trying to establish with you is that it's a dangerous job protecting our kids and we really appreciate your _agreeing_ to stay on," she hinted at Paige. Julia was, in Piper's mind, a blessing and not one that she was about to lose by driving her off with fright. Good babysitters were hellishly hard to come by.

"I understand," Julia said, getting up. She was all politeness. "Well thank you. I'll be on my way now. Same time tomorrow?"

"Between noon and five, yes, thanks Julia," Piper said and bade her farewell. After the witch had left Piper turned to her sister.

"Is it just me, or are you suspicious of everyone these days! I haven't even seen _Gareth_ in almost a month. Are you two still dating?"

"Yeah, sorta…. I mean, when I can. Normally I like to be around here after work and… Okay so you're right. I am suspicious of everyone," Paige sighed.

"Of Gareth?" Piper half exclaimed.

"No not of Gareth! I mean of anyone involved in the supernatural side of our lives. I'm just nervous, Piper. There's so much going on that we don't have a grip on. I don't know who to trust."

"We have to trust some people, otherwise we won't have any semblance of a life outside of magic," Piper pointed out. "Julia's been great and Phoebe and I have seen nothing in her behaviour to raise our suspicions. Although I do agree we need to be on high alert for anything fishy nowadays. Speaking of which… Leo!"

Paige blinked, "He's up there?" she gestured at the heavens.

"Yeah to try to find out from the Elders if they knew anything about what happened---oh! There you are."

Leo had orbed right in front of her. "Hey. No news on who the brainchild of the attack might have been, but the Elders confirmed that it is possible for a premonition to be had while a witch is dreaming."

"And telepathically transferred on top of that?" Paige questioned.

Leo shrugged. "If the dreamer is lucid…"

"Ok but isn't that a bit complicated and advanced for a baby to do? Even I have trouble lucid dreaming, let alone performing a mental trick while doing so," Paige said.

"She's right, Leo. It seems a bit of a stretch. Maybe Phoebe's right. Maybe the premonition was sent to her by someone else."

"Well it's no one up there, that's for sure. I asked," Leo responded. "No one is aware of any person below the power level of elder who is able to do that."

"And we still don't know who saved Phoebe from the cyanide poisoning," Paige used the opportunity to remind.

Leo rubbed his temples. "No, no updates on that, either."

Piper, who had been standing for the past few minutes, felt all the energy drain from her and flopped back onto to sofa. "Argh, why does this have to be such a constant headache!?"

"I'm gonna check the Book of Shadows," Paige announced and turned to leave.

"Why? It's more likely to list demons with that sort of power, not witches or the like," Piper called after her.

"Exactly," Paige hollered as she ascended the stairs. Leo and Piper exchanged worried glances.

"You know," Piper said at length, "when Neil Baker arrived with the Drawing stone, we were instructed to attend the Autumn Annual Fair after Sky's birth. Maybe we should do that. It's coming up."

Leo scratched the back of his head and frowned. "Yeah, but how are we going to explain not using the stone on Sky? It was given as a token of good faith."

"We don't," Piper said. "That was Phoebe's decision, not ours. We should go as a family and let her do the explaining to Neil and his psychic partner. We might also find out from them who's been helping us, if help is indeed what it is."

Leo nodded. "Let's hope they can provide some uplifting answers, because I don't like the direction of Paige's thinking."

"Me neither," Piper sighed.

* * * * * * *

In the privacy of her apartment, the Seer was able to do the things she enjoyed, such as guzzling down a good blood tonic and dressing in comfortable attire. They were luxuries she'd only truly valued in recent times.

Quietly, she waited in her sitting room, reading a piece of gothic literature and picking at bowl of nuts. Eventually Frank shimmered in. "Well?" he demanded.

"All has been seen to. The attack has been thwarted. You did well to learn of it."

"In the nick of time, I might add. I wonder how you would have pulled off this whole thing if it weren't for me keeping my ears and eyes open all the time!"

"I had been counting on that," she said with disinterest, turning a page.

"And you know, I'm not so comfortable snooping around the Charmed Manor. They're going to catch me one day and then I'm toast."

"You worry too much. You needn't spend much time there at all. You're of better use in the Underworld where you can eavesdrop on the things I don't see in my visions."

Frank threw up his hands in annoyance. "Yes, your ever unreliable visions!"

That the Seer could not ignore. "They come when they come. This is why I am not functioning as a one-woman team." She paused before Frank could point out his role as team member was several years premature. "And yes I know I was a little optimistic on how much you would be needed in the early years, but that is again out of my control. So far we're doing just fine, so I would suggest you stop fretting and continue doing as you have done."

"Oh easy for you to say! Charmed witches aren't the only people I have to watch out for. Other demons are getting suspicious of me too. It's only going to take one to realize I've been leaking information about planned attacks to people such as yourself and then…"

He shuddered at the thought.

The Seer closed her book with a soft snap. "Demons would be threats whether you were involved in this or not. Such is life when you're magical! Now, get back to your mission and leave me be. I have had a long and very tiring day."

Frank scowled at her and then resigned himself to the truth in her words. He didn't have much choice.

* * * * * * *

At the Penthouse, discussions took place over dinner. Phoebe was pondering who might have helped them and why. Cole had a different theory.

"Is it not possible your powers are just advancing? I mean maybe you're developing now that you're guided by an extra strong maternal instinct, especially after having Crystal who's considerably more vulnerable. Piper's power advanced, so why couldn't yours?"

Phoebe put down her knife and fork, having finished her meal, and looked thoughtfully at a painting. It depicted a spring as seen from the top of a mountain crevice and stretched on and on showing how the trickle of water grew to be a raging river in the foothills. She had always loved the way the painting made her think of potential. Cole's suggestion coupled with the image, made Phoebe speculate.

"Perhaps you're right. After all, Sky's powers are manifestations of my own. Maybe his just developed the other way around from mine. Perhaps he'll get fully fledged premonitions when he's older."

Cole leaned back in his chair, comfortably full and gazed at his little son who had dozed off in a pile of stuffed toys in the playpen he'd spent an hour fixing. He idly wondered how often he'd have to mend furniture now that demons were attacking their home as well as the manor.

"As powerful beings you both have the potential to develop even more magic in you," he mused. He turned to face his wife. "You know it took me decades to get to the level of power that I did when I was a demon. I wasn't gifted with all those abilities right from the get-go."

"And then you lost them all and gained even more thanks to the Seer's amazing potion."

"Gotten by very shady means, I can assure you. She would have worked for centuries to gather the sort of powers she did. She's been around a long time."

"Yeah, yet we haven't see much of her recently. Not that I'm complaining, but it does make me guess at what, if anything, she has planned. She _was_ after my baby once upon a time."

"Yes and that backfired on her horribly. Not only did she lose out at getting Sky, but also made me more powerful than ever. Now she has two dangerous parents to get past if she wants him. I reckon she'll think twice before making any more attempts."

"I hope so. That's the last thing we need," Phoebe sighed. As it stood, the only information they had on the demons who'd attacked was that they were mid-level and typically assigned to such tasks by a higher evil power. The higher evil power was as yet unidentified.

Phoebe shook her head with a wan smile. "I knew raising kids was going to be difficult, but raising high profile magical kids is a whole other ball game. Pity they don't have guide books for it, 'cause I could really use one!"

Cole got up and moved over to her, nuzzling her neck and putting his arms around her. "You don't need one. You're a great mom. And when a demon did attack, you kicked ass!"

She giggled. "I did, didn't I?"

"Don't get between a tigress and her cubs," Cole mumbled as he buried his nose in her hair.

"Hell hath no fury," she continued getting ticklish. He looked up and a smile spread across his countenance. They leaned in and kissed warmly.

"Ooh!" came an infant cry.

Both looked over to Sky who was observing them sleepily. "Duck."

"Again with the duck!" Phoebe cried exasperatedly.

Cole collected Sky from his playpen, used primarily to contain all his toys since if he wanted to escape, he could just shimmer.

"You mommy is a super woman, you know that?" Cole said as he sat on a chair and put Sky on his lap.

"Mama," Sky blurted, bright blue eyes shining. Phoebe gazed at him adoringly. "God, what a beautiful child we made."

Just then, Phoebe's cell phone buzzed from receiving an SMS. She opened it and half frowned, half smiled. "Piper wants to know if we're free to go to the Autumn Fair this weekend…"

* * * * * * *

Paige was only a minutes away from reaching the chapter on the Seer and her powers when her cell phone rang. Gareth was calling her out for the night. Remembering Piper's observation on how she had been neglecting her boyfriend, she felt obliged to concede.

When she got home the next day, after a great night and boring 8 hours of work, she found Julia teaching Wyatt how to suspend a glass of water in the air. The little boy was fixated on the task at hand and Julia was guiding him with soft words of encouragement. Paige had to hand it to the sitter; she knew how to teach focus and discipline. Although she wondered where she had learnt such skills herself. To her, they were key elements of martial arts or other forms of sport or fighting. Julia just didn't look like the type to have done any of those things.

"Piper tells me you have a history of rescuing magical children in trouble," Paige said, catching Julia by surprise; she had not noticed her standing in the doorway to the nursery.

"Lower the glass now, Wyatt. Down, down," she gestured. Wyatt placed the glass on the ground with his telekinesis, sloshing a little bit of water out from it but otherwise controlling the action very smoothly. Julia turned to face Paige with a somewhat strained smile. "Yes, I happened to be around when a demon struck and I took care of him."

"Really? You don't have any active powers so how did you manage that?" Paige enquired.

"I'm an excellent brewer. I was extremely fortunate to have a batch of potions handy. Since then I have spent years perfecting the craft. I also have a few pocketed for emergencies," she said, nodding sagely.

"Huh. Maybe you can teach me a few sometime," Paige said as she walked in and scooped up Wyatt. The little one was still very fond of her from the time they had spent together in the days before Julia, and snuggled up close to her, holding her tightly.

Julia merely smiled. "Are you staying home for the remainder of the day?"

"Yeah, you can go home now if you like," Paige said and blew a raspberry on Wyatt's cheek. He squealed with delight.

Julia began to gather her things. Nonchalantly, she said, "Any plans for the weekend?"

"Oh we won't be needing you this Saturday. The whole family's going out."

"Really? That's nice," she said sweetly. "Where are you going to take the little darlings?"

Paige glanced at Julia and was slow to respond. "Oh, just to a fair…you know, for fun."

Julia's smile lessened just a little. "The Autumn Fair, perhaps?"

Paige pretended not to hear her. "I think I feel my cell vibrating. I'm gonna take the call outside. Mind watching them for a few more minutes?"

"Of course," Julia said and watched Paige depart, a slow-spreading frown clouding her normally cheerful face.

* * * * * * *

A few days later the Charmed family were together at the entrance of the Autumn Annual Fair. The fair was a hodgepodge mix of arts and crafts, exhibitions, animal petting and Ferris wheels. There were excited children running everywhere and both Wyatt and Sky seemed quite taken by the sight of them. Up until recently, they had been kept in isolation from other children, but thanks to Julia's training, Piper and Phoebe felt they'd be safe to take out in public. They'd need to venture into the outside world eventually and Piper was on hand to freeze if things got hairy.

"I know we're technically here on business to meet Neil and his wife, but I'll be honest with you and say I'm quite in the mood to have some fun, too!" Paige announced, eyeing a few shooting games where she could win large teddy bears. Since becoming a telekinetic orbing whitelighter, Paige's aim had improved drastically. She was sure to win a lot of goodies.

"Well of course we can have some fun, too, but first let's find out where Neil and company are and get that over with," Piper said, pushing Chris in his pram.

"Could take a while. It's a big Fair. Wanna split up? We can call each other when we strike lucky," Cole suggested.

"Yeah why not. We'll go right and you go left," Piper said, indicating herself, Leo and Paige to be in the right-hand party. They conceded and the families split up, keeping an eye out for any fortune tellers, the usual disguise psychics took at such places.

Phoebe pushed a pram with a dozing Crystal in it while Cole held Sky. Sky kept pointing at floating balloons and other colourful objects, trying to name them and being corrected by his father. As they passed a shooting game, whereby the object was to hit three ducks in a row to win a ball, Sky suddenly exclaimed "DUCK!"

"Yes! That's a duck!" Cole laughed, delighted.

"Finally he gets it right," Phoebe sighed, rolling her eyes. Just then a clown in stilts passed them by. Sky was instantly frightened and covered his eyes. Cole could feel the familiar warmth of Sky's impending force field. "Hey, buddy, no need to be afraid. He's not going to hurt you, and daddy will protect you."

"So he's not afraid of mean-looking demons hovering over his cot but of clowns?" Phoebe said with a grin.

"Hey clowns are scary! Lots of people don't like clowns," Cole defended.

Phoebe snickered. "Like the young Cole, for example?"

Cole glowered at her. "I'm just saying."

Phoebe caught sight of people existing a booth and before the beaded cover fell to conceal the occupant, she spotted a woman stooped over a crystal ball.

"Think I spotted a fortune teller," she muttered and pointed. They headed over to the booth. Phoebe exchanged a glance with Cole. "What should I say? I mean, unless she's keeping grey-skinned Neil by her side, how will I recognize her?"

"If she's the real deal, she should recognize you," Cole said and gestured that Phoebe go inside.

Leaving the children with her husband, she entered the booth. The red-haired, middle-aged woman looked up and smiled sadly. "I knew you would come eventually."

"You…did…huh?" Phoebe said uncertainly.

"It's all right. I know who you are. Neil told me."

Relaxing a little, Phoebe sat down. "So you must be Neil's wife?"

The melancholic smile faded from the woman's face and she bowed her head. "No, no I am not. His wife…was murdered two nights ago. I am filling in for her, since I know she had an important message to tell you."

"What?" Phoebe gasped, shocked. "Murdered? How? By whom?"

"Demons and warlocks. She foresaw the attack, but wherever she fled to they found her, until they eventually destroyed her."

"My God… Poor woman. And poor Neil! He must be distraught."

The woman nodded. "He is. But he was determined to carry on with his wife's mission, which is being on hand to help protect you and your children. Neil sent me here. I am a family friend and a witch myself so I am aware of how important this mission is."

Phoebe nodded slowly, feeling very anxious. The fact that the psychic was killed two days before the fair set off alarm bells in her head. "What was the message?" she finally asked.

The woman shook her head and shrugged. "Unfortunately, I do not know. She did not feel it safe to divulge the information to anyone, lest it get leaked to the wrong people. However I do know that she needed to see your infant son before she was able to determine the state of things. Have you been using the Drawing stone she gave you?"

Phoebe flushed. "Well, to be honest, I---"

At that moment, Cole poked his head in. "Phoebe, is everything okay?"

"Y-yes, well, no. I mean, we've found the right booth it's just… Can you call Piper and everyone? I think they need to hear this."

Cole nodded with a worried expression and ducked back out of the tent. Phoebe turned back to the woman. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

"Enid. And you're Phoebe and that just there was Belthazar."

"Cole. His demon side has been vanquished, so he's just…Cole, now."

Enid didn't look especially convinced, which irked her. "How is the child developing? Have you done anything to limit his demonic tendencies?"

Phoebe was unsure what to say to that. "We've hired an excellent sitter who has helped train him to control them. He's been a really good kid."

"I see. So you have not been utilizing the Drawing stone?" Enid pressed, a clear look of disapproval on her face.

"No," Phoebe said with a bit more confidence. "I didn't feel it necessary. We're being good influences on our son and I believe we're doing a great job at nurturing all the good in him without having to repress anything."

"I do not question your parenting skills, Phoebe, only the predisposition you son has towards evil."

Phoebe was about to respond angrily to that when Enid interrupted with, "But let me not jump to conclusions. I have been given a small amount of information from Neil that I can pass on to you after inspecting the child. Fortunately, Miranda did tell Neil some of what she knew. Would you please bring in the infant?"

By that point Piper, Paige and Leo had arrived. The booth was too small to fit them all so Phoebe asked them to stay outside for the meantime and watch Crystal while Cole brought in Sky.

The ex-demon seated himself beside his wife, who quickly informed him about Neil's misfortune. Enid looked over their son thoughtfully. Sky, propped up on his father's knee, returned the intense look.

"If you'll allow me to touch the infant's hand?" Enid asked.

Phoebe looked at her husband with a slightly concerned expression. "I…guess that would be okay?" she said. Cole nodded slowly. Enid reached out and touched Sky's left hand. Suddenly, Sky glowed orange.

"Whoa! What did you just do?" Phoebe exclaimed.

Enid pulled back and the orange glow faded. "I did nothing. Your son just powered up. He felt threatened and so he advanced one of his powers. He will glow orange briefly every time a demonic power develops. Some things trigger these developments, such as bonding with a fellow demon or sensing a threat. I am no direct threat to your child, but my Good magic is."

Phoebe rolled her eyes, "Oh please! If he were offended by Good magic he'd be glowing all the time! He lives in a house full of Good magic."

"Family is one thing, but how often has he been exposed to Good magic outside of the family and friends environment?"

"He's fine with Julia and she's a Good witch," Cole said shortly.

"All I am saying is that I just triggered a natural response in him. You will find later that he has either developed another power or one of his pre-existing demonic ones will have strengthened. Read into that what you will, but I am telling you, that is what just happened. As for the Drawing stone…"

Both parents stiffened at the mention of the object that had been stored away for so long.

"I suggest you employ it before it's too late. There is a short window period in which it is effective on magical children. If you don't, his demonic powers could become too intense for you, or your son, to handle."

"Are you finished? Or is there anything useful you have to say?" Phoebe said, an irritable, aggressive tone to her voice.

Enid took a deep breath, "The only other information I have is that there will be more attempts to kill or kidnap your son, and none should be taken lightly."

"Kidnap? Someone wants to kidnap Sky?" Phoebe exclaimed, attentive once more.

"If you know who was behind the attack on my children a few days ago, you'd better tell me," Cole said calmly, threateningly. "And on that topic, did Neil or anyone you know help us at anytime in the recent past?"

Enid gave him a disdainful look. "If I knew, I would have told your _wife_ long ago. And no, Neil has not been involved in any aid to you since he gave you the Drawing stone, which you've chosen _not_ to use. I'm sorry, that's all I have to say. The rest, I'm afraid, is up to you."

"Right," Phoebe said, clearly ticked off by the whole affair. She stood up and the couple left the tent with their son.

Outside the brilliant sunshine seemed in contrast to the gloomy atmosphere created by being in the tent. "So?" Piper queried. "What did she say?"

"She wasn't our psychic, but a stand-in for her," Phoebe said tersely. "And a lousy one at that."

"But why was she standing in for her?" Piper asked.

"Because Neil's wife is dead. Murdered by demons and warlocks two nights ago, apparently," Phoebe said. Paige and Piper gasped and Leo covered Wyatt's ears.

"That's horrible! Why would they---" Paige began but Leo interrupted her.

"To prevent her from delivering an important message to us, most likely. Did this stand-in tell you anything of note?"

"Only that Neil and company were not behind any rescue attempts. The cyanide saviour remains a mystery," Phoebe told them, aware of Cole's gaze on her. He didn't say anything.

"What about the premonition?" Paige questioned.

"Not behind that, either, unless Miranda did it without telling him, which is entirely possible since soon after that she was killed. If she thwarted a demonic attack by warning me with her psychic powers, she'd obviously make herself a target. And considering she didn't tell the important message to Neil or this stand-in, she was clearly keeping a lot of things to herself."

"It's safer that way. The more people know about something top secret, the more likely that secret will be leaked," Cole explained.

Piper turned to her sister and her husband. "What do you guys think?"

Leo shrugged. "I'm not sure, but the fact that Miranda was murdered days after Phoebe was warned about an attack does seem to add up to something."

"I don't know, something just doesn't feel right," Paige murmured. "She was meant to meet us here. I think that it's more probable that demons got to her before she could talk to us. They must have known, somehow, that we were scheduled to meet her here."

"Whatever the case, her stand-in Enid hasn't any more useful information for us. So why don't we go home?" Phoebe interjected everyone's speculations.

"Not until I've gone on at least three rides and had some cotton candy!" Paige protested.

"Okay, okay, you big kid," Piper teased. "We can talk about all this demon stuff another time. Let's have fun."

The group went ahead and attempted to enjoy the rest of the day, but for two of the crowd, it was impossible.

* * * * * * *

Below ground, suspicions were that a force of good had ruined a demonic bid to destroy Wyatt and abduct Sky and his Aide. A demon named Horates had been the co-ordinator, hoping to catch the witches by surprise. He could just about concede that it was a misfortune that the witch Paige happened to be up when his first party struck the manor for Wyatt, but that middle-sister came in clearly prepared to take on a demon at the traitor Belthazar's penthouse…that he could not accept. He was baying for blood; he had lost some of his best men and wanted to find out who had been behind the sabotage.

A day before Miranda's death, he was fuming in his lair when he was approached by a demon he did not know.

"I heard about your bid to destroy the twice-blessed child and capture the charmed half-breed," the demon said from the shadows.

"Reveal yourself," Horates warned, "or I will incinerate you."

The tall, black and green demon emerged from the darkness, hands up in a non-hostile gesture. "Relax, I come only to tell you who wrecked your attack by warning the witch."

"Really?" Horates stated, rising from his chair. He was black-skinned with handsome gold patterns on his face and forearms. He originated from Egypt and had built up an impressive reputation for being extraordinarily fast to destroy someone who didn't tickle his fancy. "And what do you want me to give you in return for this information."

The approaching demon's lower lip protruded and he shrugged. "Why nothing! We're on the same side here. I applaud of your efforts. I'd like to see you succeed."

"Don't toy with me," Horates growled. "No demon does anything without selfish intent."

"And ridding the world of a powerful force of good and capturing a powerful force of evil ISN'T in my best interests?"

Horates clenched his fist. "Be quick to deliver your information. I have limited patience."

"It was a good psychic, named Miranda. She's famous for ruining demonic plans. She is helped by her demon-lover Nelex, or Neil as he now calls himself. Another traitor to the dark side, I'm afraid."

Horates relaxed his tense posture somewhat and scratched his pointed chin. "I have heard of this Miranda. What I am curious to hear now is how you are sure it was her."

"Simple. I spotted the treacherous Nelex snooping around here hours before the attack. He was gone before I could do anything to him. This married team have had their ears to the ground ever since the witch's spawn came into the world, and Miranda has the ability to see into the future. Fairly simple to put two and two together."

The demon stopped a few metres away from the imposing form of Horates. The Egyptian demon was seven foot tall and built for the kill. He did not want to get too close.

"Then she must be dealt with. Now come clean with me. What do you want? I will not tolerate feigned innocence."

"All right, I would like to join you. I know you have an elite force of demons and warlocks under your command and I am partial to the idea of being a member of those forces, albeit a part-time one. If you manage to capture the demon Sky and turn him evil, I want to be on your side."

Horates smirked knowingly. "Yes, I thought you might. I will consider it."

He turned away from him and moved back towards his chair. The dark lair was adorned with exotic ornaments from all over the world, especially Egypt. Fires burned in several corners of the room and gold-plated masks snarled down at him from their wall placements. The entire place screamed supremacy. Horates was not a demon to be messed with, but still…

"Leave me. I'll get back to should I need you."

Frank bowed once and exited the room, both content and anxious at the prospect of becoming a mole in Horates's ranks. But so far, things were going well. Miranda would be stopped from delivering news of the Seer's plan to the sisters and they would believe that it was she who had transferred the warning to Phoebe, protecting the Seer from being discovered. The Seer had warned him the witches were getting suspicious as to who had been 'helping' them and the timing of Miranda's plan to reveal what she had foreseen at the Autumn fair had fitted nicely with Horates's attack.

And he now had a way to hear about any future attempts to steal his investment from him.

* * * * * * *

The night of the Fair, after the family had returned home and discussed the day's events (with Phoebe tactfully skirting around any mention of Sky's apparently expanding demonhood), Leo found himself summoned by the Elders.

Standing before a panel of elite Elders, he was questioned about the death of Miranda, for which Leo confessed having been ignorant of until that day. The Elders expressed great concern over why she would have been killed days prior to a meeting with Phoebe. Leo admitted he found it worrying. Then the Elders surprised Leo by bringing up an issue he thought had been forgotten.

"We wish for you to use what Miranda gave you. Use the Drawing stone. Tell your charge that she has no choice in the matter. If she refuses to soften the evil magic within her child, we will take measures to ensure he does not develop them further."

Leo knew that would not go down well, and as a father of a magical child himself, he felt outraged by the Elders' meddling, however noble their intentions may have been. "I can't do that, or rather, Phoebe won't. She's adamant that Sky develops normally, and confident that she can keep his demonic side in check."

"We have been lenient with the Charmed ones. Allowing you and Piper to marry was one thing, but it was quite another to stand by and let a witch marry a demon," they reminded.

"Ex-demon," Leo defended, "And he's been nothing but a force of good since, we all have! I think we deserve some credit for being able to control the way in which we use our gifts. Ultimately, my union with Piper made us stronger---"

"And gave birth to a dangerously powerful child. You know our feelings on this, Leo. We have allowed your son to continue to grow with his powers out of trust that you and Piper are up to the job. But Phoebe's son is a different story. We will never trust an ex-demon with that sort of power, nor will we trust the intentions of a child borne from a great Evil. We have seen the infant's recent behaviour. It would seem his demonic powers are returning."

Leo was distressed. He was on dangerous ground, defending Sky when he had stretched the patience and tolerance of the Elders to their limit by wedding Piper and having not one but two powerful children. They had never been fond of the idea. He could quite understand their scepticism and reservations about a partly demonic child. But Leo had grown to love his nephew and although he was unsure about Sky exhibiting powers typically associated with Evil, he had seen in Cole how even dark magic could be used for good. Torn, he conceded simply to deliver the message to Phoebe, but not to enforce it. The Elders let him go with a repeat of their stern warning.

"She either binds his powers, strips him of them or lessens them with the Drawing stone. Those are her only choices."

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

**Crystal Tears**

**Chapter 3 – **Choices

When Leo orbed into the Penthouse, he found Phoebe and Cole to be having an intense discussion, one which they ceased having the moment he cleared his throat.

"H-oh God, Leo! You scared me," Phoebe gasped.

Cole cast a strained smile in Leo's direction. "Is something wrong?" he asked clearly hoping something wasn't. He looked tired.

Leo shuffled his feet.

"Spit it out, Leo," Phoebe said somewhat tersely.

Leo decided to hold Phoebe's gaze as he knew Cole's very strong feelings towards the Elders and their realm. He was even more likely to fly into a rage than Phoebe over this. As Leo explained, however, he could see a darkness coming over her countenance and while Cole threw up his hands and started spitting venom in the general direction of the heavens, she went unnervingly calm and still.

After he had finished, he concluded with, "Phoebe, you know I only want the best for you and your family, but I'm worried about what the Elders will do if you don't listen to them. They can be pretty stubborn when it comes to enforcing rules and as you and I both know, it's a big risk trying to break them."

"Thank you for your concern, Leo," Phoebe said gently, "You can tell them we got your message."

"And you know what else you can tell them," Cole raged, but Phoebe put a hand on his shoulder. "Shh, Cole. Don't shoot the messenger. We'll deal with this in our own time, together…alone."

Cole was flushed with anger and looked ready to deck someone, so Leo decided to take that as his cue to leave. "Again, I'm really sorry. Call me if you need anything." With that he orbed out of the room.

Cole reeled on Phoebe. "What was that? You just let him go without a response from us? Are you going to stand by and let psychics and-and robed egotists get in the way of our parenting?!"

"No, actually, I'm not," Phoebe said coolly. "I just need time to think. And YOU need to keep your voice down. They might be listening."

Cole snickered bitterly and turned away from her. "Right, now we have to _whisper_ in our own home. Phoebe, you know how I feel about this, about THEM…"

"Look I know you're angry, I'm angry too, but I have had more experience with them and I know that you have to approach these situations very carefully. And you know, Cole, maybe it…" she paused, not really sure if she knew what she wanted to say.

"Maybe what?" Cole shot her a challenging look. "Maybe it's worth considering? Phoebe no, Sky is a good child and his powers are just that – powers. They don't define who he is. What defines who he is, is how he uses them. Not once has he used them to hurt anyone or do anything deliberately destructive. Wyatt's powers are just as dangerous as Sky's, but it's only because he has a whitelighter as a father that he gets away with it. This isn't about protecting Sky from harm, or people who may encounter him, it's about me, distrust _in me_. And that makes me furious, damn it! I've given up everything to be with you, to be a source of help to you and your sisters, done loads of good up until now and yet they still---"

Phoebe embraced her husband and disarmed him with a kiss. "I know," she whispered. "You don't need to convince me. But maybe Miranda saw something in the future that the Elders have seen too. Maybe something bad happens to Sky, like someone steals his powers and uses them for evil. We just don't know what could happen."

"But we can protect him. We will! I'm not going to let anything happen to him or to Crystal. They trust Leo and Piper to do that with Wyatt, why not trust us?"

"Because old habits—"

"Die hard," Cole finished irritably. He was guided to the sofa and made to sit down. Phoebe nuzzled him gently. "We'll figure this out. But we need to think things through first, okay?"

Cole swallowed hard, his chest still heaving from his outburst. Phoebe looked at him and remembered that for a hundred years of his life the Elders and their kind had been his enemy. There was a lot of resentment beneath Cole's anger that had its roots in his past. He was not only defending his son but himself.

Phoebe soothed him by rubbing his arm and holding him close, while inside her emotions were in a whirlwind.

********************

The following day, Piper, Paige and Leo talked about the situation over breakfast.

"Cole looked pretty mad when I left," Leo answered Paige.

"I bet he did. And I bet he's not going to even consider that the Elders probably mean well. Sky's nearly two. They've let him alone a long time. It's only now that he's showing his demonic abilities that they're panicking," the half-whitelighter said before popping a grape into her mouth.

"But let's look at this from a child's perspective," Piper spoke up. "I worry enough for Wyatt having to grow up hiding half of who he is, but I made the decision that he keep his powers because he could feel at home when he was, well, home! He's surrounded by good magic, magic that imitates his own. But Sky… Sky's different. He's a very unusual hybrid and he's going to have to reconcile two sides to his magical persona that have been at war with each other for millennia. Not only will he have to keep himself in check at school and places in the outside world, but even within magical circles, other parents will be wary of their kids playing with half-demons."

"Quarter-demon, actually," Paige pointed out. "Two parts witch and one part mortal."

"Sure, but demon nonetheless. I don't know. It's just…this is new and unprecedented in the world of magic. He'll be a freak in all spheres of his life…and I say that with a heavy heart. I adore Sky. But even I find it difficult sometimes watching him play with fire, literally, with Wyatt observing in the corner. It's confusing for both of them."

"Ultimately it's down to Phoebe and Cole to comply or to challenge them, though," Leo said, "And I think we can guess what's more likely."

"They're going to get into a lot of trouble, aren't they?" Paige worried.

Piper glanced at Leo. "If our experiences are anything to go by, then yeah. They're in for a rough road."

Just then the doorbell rang. "Oh that'll be Julia. She's just stopping by to pick up a library book she left here," Piper said, rising.

Paige watched her leave the room and then looked at Leo. She didn't realize that she was displaying an expression of annoyance.

"What's the matter, Paige?" Leo asked instinctively.

"Matter? Nothing's the matter," Paige waved away his question dismissively.

"You sure? Because you know you can tell me."

"Oh it's nothing, Leo. I just worry about these kids, you know. I want them to be in good hands and happy and healthy and all."

Leo nodded, realizing that that was not the full story but knowing better than to push her. "They are and we'll make sure they stay that way."

"Or the Elders will," Paige muttered, torn herself about whose side she was on, since she could see it from both perspectives. "Let me know if Cole and Phoebe decide anything, okay?" she said, getting up and clearing away the dishes.

"I will," Leo sighed. "I'm as anxious to know what their next move's gonna be as you are."

*******************************

That Sunday, Cole and Phoebe found themselves sitting in long silences, both pondering how they were going to approach the situation.

Cole spent most of his time slumped on the sofa, staring out the window thoughtfully, while Phoebe decided eventually to consult the Book of Shadows to see if there was anything useful to them in there.

Finding himself alone in the apartment, Cole took time to evaluate his son's state of power. Currently, the little boy was peering through the bars of his sister's crib and making playful noises at her.

"Sky," he called softly. "Come here."

Sky reluctantly turned away from his sister and tottered over to his father. Cole knelt and held his son in an earnest gaze. "Can you show daddy your special gift?"

Sky was too young to understand everything his father said to him, so Cole chose to demonstrate. He used a neutral power and performed telekinesis on a nearby toy car, bringing it over to the infant. Sky grinned. "Ca."

"Your turn. Move the car, buddy."

Sky tilted his head and the car rolled backwards a few feet on its wheels. He chuckled. "Ca!"

"What else can you do? Show daddy," Cole encouraged.

Sky fidgeted a while and then pointed at the toy and a yellow light emitted from his right hand and enveloped the object. Slowly, he raised his hand and the car lifted with it.

Cole applauded lightly. "Good boy! Now you know we only do that here in the house, right? Not outside."

Sky shook his head fervently, having been carefully guided by Julia and his mother and aunts to only ever perform magic at the Manor or at home.

"Good," Cole patted him on the head. "Now I know you can disappear," Cole began and on cue Sky shimmered and then reappeared on the same spot. Cole laughed. "Yes, like that. But is there anything else you like to do?"

"Mmm," Sky pondered and then his eyes brightened. "Baby!"

"What about baby?"

"Baby," Sky repeated and toddled over to Crystal's crib. Cole followed him and watched intently as Sky silently stared at his little sister. Then he stepped back and the crib disappeared.

Cole rose to his feet, alarmed. "Whoa! Sky! What did you---where did you…? Put it back, Sky! Put the crib and your sister back!"

The crib reappeared and Sky turned to his father to get approval. Inside, Crystal giggled.

Cole simply stared at he crib, feeling it over and inspecting his daughter to make sure she was all right. Finally, he faced his little son. "You just teleported an object, didn't you? Just like daddy could when he was…" He didn't finish. He'd never said his demonic name around his son and he wasn't about to now. "Where did you put her?"

Sky clapped his hands in childish glee and pointed towards the master bedroom. Cole relaxed, very relieved that his daughter, cot and all had not appeared in a random location outside. "That's a very special trick, but you know to only ever use it inside and when daddy and mommy tell you to, okay?" he told Sky. The blue-eyed boy just stared at his father and Cole was left to guess whether or not he'd understood. He then realized that this was probably the power Sky had acquired yesterday. The power was a replica of Cole's own from his Belthazar days, but as far as uses went, it was fairly neutral in that it could be used for good or for ill. He wasn't too worried.

He took Sky into his arms and focussed on him. "From now on, I want you only to use your gifts when mommy, daddy, your aunties and uncle Leo tell you to. And Julia. But nobody else. Only when we tell you to or if you are alone and feel scared. You got that big guy?"

Sky sucked his thumb and sagged against his father, getting tired of all the lecturing. Cole kissed him on the top of his head and put him back down again. He watched as Sky went back to playing with his sister, hoping that he hadn't encouraged him to use a power that could endanger her. But observing the way his son interacted with the little girl, Cole couldn't help but feel that there was a very strong bond between them already and that Sky wouldn't do anything to harm her.

"Now we just have to convince certain people that you won't harm anyone else," Cole murmured grumpily.

********************************

Frank learned the hard way that, as organized and co-ordinated as Horates could be, he was also a fan of spontaneous decisions.

The Egyptian demon was having a feast in his lair, talking to old and new recruits, when, at the end of the meal, he said, "My senses indicate that the Power of Three is strong, meaning they are together, meaning that either Belthazar or the Whitelighter are guarding the children at the Penthouse, if indeed they are there. Why don't we drop by for a surprise visit?"

Frank stared at Horates in alarm, not out of fear for his own life but because he had no time to warn the Seer and figure out a plan of action with her. The other demons looked uncomfortable for other reasons. "But we haven't discussed a strategy, sir," one of the younger trainee demons spoke up.

"Precisely!" Horates bellowed. "Spontaneous attacks are the best way to avoid a witch's premonitions and excellent practice for young demons to learn how to think on their feet." He leaned over the table, hands together in a pensive gesture. "Many an evil being has been destroyed by sudden appearances by the witches themselves. Learning how to improvise is the key to levelling up."

He straightened up and smiled. "Which is why I am only sending in eight of you; the new members. My older elites have already proved their cunning to me." The older elites looked relieved. "Now. Those who joined within this year are instructed to prove their fealty to me by shimmering or blinking to the Penthouse now. If no children are home, consider yourself lucky. But if there are… You know the drill."

Reluctantly, the youthful eight, including Frank (who wasn't so youthful but still new to the ranks nonetheless) rose from their places, exchanged glances and started to shimmer out. Frank had no choice but to join them. He would have to glamour into another form the moment he got there to save himself being recognized.

************************************

Back at the Manor, Phoebe was paging through the Book, trying to ignore the barrage of questions from her sister.

"What do you expect to find in there anyway?" Paige asked.

Phoebe kept flicking through spells, a stern look of determination on her face. "I don't know, yet, Paige. That's why I'm looking."

"Phoebe, Leo and Piper are worried about you, not to mention myself, because the Elders can do scary things if you piss them off—"

"I'm aware of that," Phoebe almost snapped. She gave her sister an exasperated, pleading look. "I just want to see if there's a middle ground we can reach. Maybe a spell or a potion that will inhibit the use of specific powers until a certain age, an age when Sky will understand us better. I don't want to permanently bind or strip of even soften them just…help him control them until such time as it's safer for him to exercise them more freely."

"You really think that'll satisfy the Elders?" Paige said flatly.

Phoebe paused in her hunting and sighed. "I don't know. All I do know is that something doesn't feel right about taking away or drawing out part of what makes him who he is. I mean, how many times has he used his demonic abilities to protect himself, protect us, from evil? He took out the Source and _several hundred_ demons and if that's not a sign of dark magic being used for good purposes then I don't know is!"

Paige nodded slowly, a sympathetic light in her eyes.

"I just want to give him a chance. He deserves that much. He's only a baby now and he hasn't done anything wrong," Phoebe said softly, concern written all over her face. She slowly paged through the Book again.

"You're right. He does deserve a chance. You gave Cole a chance and he turned out fine in the end so maybe we---I mean They, should just trust your judgement, like they trust-"

"Piper," Phoebe interrupted, as the eldest sister walked in.

"Hey," Piper said, head tilted in a gesture of curiosity. "Mind filling me in?"

"Sure," Phoebe said resignedly. There were no decisions to be made without consultation with her family. She knew that.

"And once you're done, I have a few things to say, too," Piper said gently. "From one concerned mother to another."

"I'm all ears," Phoebe responded diplomatically. If anyone could understand her predicament, it was Piper.

*********************************************

Cole was in the kitchen getting a bottle for Crystal when he heard a crash. He swivelled around and found himself face to face with a strange, darkly dressed man. "Surprise," the man said and struck out. Cole was sent flying backwards and he hit the kitchen sink with a crunch. Pain shot through his body, but alarm cancelled it out. He conjured up two energy balls and hurtled them at the offending demon, who narrowly avoided them. Using his telekinesis to pick up a kitchen knife, he sent it flying at the demon. It hit its mark and plunged straight between the eyes, vanquishing him. He raced outside and found, to his horror, several demons throwing fire and energy balls at the protective shield that had come up around Sky. The little boy had extended its reach to cover his sister's crib. "Daddah!" he wailed, clearly frightened.

"Get away from them!" Cole snarled and sent tendrils of electricity in the direction of two of the demons. One ducked while the other was zapped off his feet, not dead but rather stunned. Cole himself had to duck as a barrage of energy and fireballs came his way. "Sky, shimmer you and your sister to the Man—ahh!"

One of the energy balls struck him, sending him spinning and landing on his front, his shoulder burning with searing pain. "Daddy!" Sky sobbed.

Before Cole could get to his feet, he had a vision of himself clambering up from the floor, only to be stabbed in the back from a demon that had shimmered from out of nowhere. The vision cleared and Cole rolled to the right, sprang up and spun around, delivering a kick to the demon that had just formed behind him. Turning to face the remaining attackers, he ignited his hands in an attempt to intimidate them. There were five left, one who Cole vaguely recognized. When the realization struck him what the demon's speciality was, he screamed out, "Sky get OUT of here!"

The demon smirked and suddenly Crystal had blinked into his arms. He'd conjured her from out of her protective bubble straight to him. "No!" Cole shouted and lunged. He was blinded by a sudden burst of orange and yellow light. Staggering back, blinking furiously to clear away the white dots swarming his vision, he squinted and saw that the demons were all gone, fading away in flutters of ash. Crystal was nowhere to be seen. Cole stared with wide-eyed horror. "Cr—Crys…" he stuttered. Then, there came a baby's cry. Rushing over to her crib, Cole found his little girl inside, very upset but otherwise unharmed. "Ohhh," he sighed in immense relief.

The sound of sniffles brought back his attention to Sky, who was still standing with his back to the crib, orange force field slowly fading away around him. "Aw, Sky…" Cole murmured, scooping up the frightened infant. The boy wrapped his little arms around his father's neck, shuddering with choked sobs.

"Shhh, shh shhh," Cole tried to soothe him. He looked around the Penthouse warily, but apart from a few piles of dust, there were no more warlocks and demons to be seen. Holding his son in a close cuddle, he gently rocked him. Crystal was still crying and the sound of her terrified wails coupled with Sky's snivelling filled Cole with a frustration and desperation he'd never experienced in such intensity before. He felt for the beeper he and Phoebe always kept on them and pressed, knowing it would get her right over.

"Shhh," he hushed, ignoring the throbbing pain in his back and shoulder. "It's all going to be all right."

************************************************

On the other side of the city, in a small, cheerful apartment, a demon shimmered in and collapsed on the floor, stinging all over. Rolling onto his back, he allowed himself to catch his breath and acknowledge the injuries he'd sustained. If he weren't an upper-level demon, the shock would have fried him, but as he was so strong it had only burned him. Still, another pelt from that sort of voltage would have rendered him unconscious, and then he would have been at the mercy of one very pissed-off father.

As Frank stared at the ceiling, rasping for air, a shadow fell on him. A woman leaned over him.

"What the Hell are you doing here?" she demanded.

******************************

Phoebe had been taking in all of Piper's concerns about Sky's future as a child, not just as a witch or as a demon. She began to stop thinking about the insult to her and her husband's ability to raise him as a Good being and more about Sky's own predicament as a budding little person. This was a side, she was ashamed to admit, she hadn't really thought about, being so caught up on what binding or softening his powers would have meant for his magical destiny.

Presently, her big sister was putting a comforting arm around her and calmly reassuring her. "I have faith in you both to be great parents to Crystal and Sky. And I know in my heart that whatever decision you make, it'll be the right one. I just wanted to offer a different viewpoint, because I understand pretty well what you're going through."

Phoebe nodded slowly, a heavy weight both being lifted and put on her shoulders. Sharing the worry with Piper had helped, but being reminded what an epic decision she and Cole really had to make had brought home the fact that it would mould Sky forever.

"Said like a real magical mommy," Paige chirped up after sitting in on their sisterly conversation. Phoebe smiled wanly. "I'm so glad I'm not alone in this magic baby rearing business!"

Her beeper suddenly went off. It took her a moment to register and then panic set in. "Cole," she breathed. Looking up at Paige, she cried, "Something's wrong. You have to take me to the Penthouse."

Paige wasted no time in asking questions and rushed over to her sister.

"Do you want me to come?" Piper asked worriedly.

"No, you stay here with Leo and look out for your kids," Phoebe said, latching onto Paige's arm. The two orbed out immediately after.

Phoebe was already in a fighting pose when she arrived, but to her astonishment found that there were no demons in sight. Then she noticed all the damage. Rounding the corner, the sisters spotted a badly hurt Cole in an armchair, cradling an unhappy Sky.

"Cole!" Phoebe cried and ran over to him. "I'm fine, just go comfort Crystal," he told her, voice a little shaky.

As Phoebe gathered her daughter up in her arms, Paige knelt before the weary, battered ex-demon and his son and looked them both over with concern. "What happened here?" she asked him.

"Demons. About eight of them…all struck at once. I fought off some of them. Sky took care of the rest. He used a shorthand premonition on me, to warn me of a demon about to stab me! I've never had one of those. It was incredible… But if he hadn't helped, I would have, I mean we might have…"

"Shh," Paige hushed, not wanting the little boy to hear anything disturbing. "We need Leo," she announced.

"Wait, I don't want Piper to be alone right now. Go back to the Manor and get Leo and then stay there, please, Paige?" Phoebe requested.

Paige nodded and orbed out.

Crystal finally calmed down, feeling safe in her mother's arms. Phoebe cradled her and approached her husband. "I'm so sorry you were alone. I shouldn't have left…"

Cole shook his head fervently. "No, you were right to go. We aren't always going to be together to defend them. And Sky helped protect himself and his sister. Phoebe you should have seen it! He sent me a warning, he put up a force field, he even managed to teleport his sister back into her crib after a warlock got---"

"Teleport? He can teleport things?" Phoebe's jaw dropped.

Cole closed his eyes, nodding tiredly. "Yeah. I just found out today."

Sky had quietened down and was sucking his thumb, still tightly clutching his father.

"My brave little boy," Phoebe cooed over him. Leo orbed in and attended to Cole.

"Paige said you got hit by several demons!" Leo exclaimed as he began to heal Cole's wounds. "Did you recognize any of them?"

"Just one, vaguely. He's a demon with warlock's powers. I remember him from long ago. He tried to take Crystal, but Sky teleported her back to safety."

Leo turned and looked up slowly at Phoebe. "Don't look at me! I only just found out myself."

Leo finished healing and stood up and looked around. "Looks like there was a big fight here. Not one I want to see repeated. Cole maybe we should all go back to the Manor and give you and Phoebe a chance to look for that demon in the Book of Shadows."

"Well he's dead now, but yeah…be a good idea to figure out who he was, maybe give us some leads as to who he was working for," Cole agreed, getting up gingerly. Although his wounds were healed, her still felt echoes of the aches in his back.

"Phoebe," Cole addressed his wife earnestly. "If Sky hadn't used his…non-witch abilities, we all would have been—"

"I know," Phoebe cut him off. "Later."

The family left the Penthouse.

********************

After Leo had checked both Sky and Crystal were completely unharmed, they were put to bed while the family started putting up defenses. Traps were set, potions were brewed and spells were cast in anticipation of a big attack. Meanwhile, Cole and Phoebe thumbed through the book.

"I remember when this thing used to jump at the sight of me," Cole muttered as he turned a page.

"Seems like a long time ago, huh?" Phoebe said, holding his free arm. Cole nodded thoughtfully. "There," he said.

"That's the demon?" Phoebe asked as she took in the image of a toothy but otherwise human looking person.

"Not exactly. It's a token image of a warlock demon mix. They're rare but there's clearly enough of them causing trouble to warrant an entry in the Book. They tend to ally themselves with other mixed clans."

"Other hybrids or just mixed groups?"

"The latter," Cole confirmed as he read on. "Aside from that all it tells us is that they are frequently hired by faction leaders as they're notoriously difficult to vanquish."

"But you got him?" Phoebe observed.

"Not me, Sky, and that is because Sky's powers are demonic. Fighting him with witch powers would have been more difficult. You'd need a vanquishing spell, probably a potion too. In fact, it says you will." He pointed to the section on how to kill such a hybrid.

"Good thing he had them, then," Phoebe muttered as she copied the spell onto a piece of paper.

"Wait, he's dead now, why are you taking down the spell?" Cole queried.

"Because more like him could come back. Hey, do you remember where he was when he was killed?"

"Um, I think so. Why?"

"Because I'm hoping I can get a flashback of the demon who sent him. The leader."

Piper came into the attic, looking worried.

"Oh no, what is it?" Phoebe covered her face with her hand and peered through her fingers. She instinctively knew Piper was going to bear bad news.

"I just thought you should know that Leo has been summoned by the Elders again. Most likely to deliver an update on your decision to them."

"Or lack thereof," Phoebe groaned. "They sure didn't give us long to ponder it."

"That's because they expected us simply to obey," Cole growled.

Before he could launch into a tirade, Piper said, "Well in case it gets ugly and you're forced to make up your mind on whether to bind, strip or to draw out…". Piper held out her hand and opened her palm. The Drawing stone was sitting on it, smooth and gleaming.

Cole shook his head silently and turned to Phoebe, who simply groaned again.

******************************

Frank had passed out from his injuries shortly after being asked what he was doing where he was. When he woke up, he found himself in Horates's lair. Startled, he sat up quickly and looked wildly around.

"How did I get here?"

A dark, smooth voice came from the shadows.

"I summoned you here. I wanted a report and seeing as you were the only demon to survive the ambush attempt, I had to take you from wherever it was you were hiding."

Frank turned to the speaker and saw Horates emerge, head tilted in curiosity with a smug smile pulling at his lips.

"Congratulations in being the last man standing."

"Barely. If I hadn't shimmered out of there when I did…"

"Under normal circumstances I'd punish such cowardice. But in this case I recognise it as sense. You knew when the battle was lost and saved your skin. Nothing wrong with that," Horates leered over him. "Now tell me how exactly _did_ the battle conclude?"

Frank swallowed hard. "Badly. Belthazar packs a hell of a punch. I don't know where he got so many powers from, but he sure knows how to use them. I could see the infant's force field building. I knew that was a bad sign and got out of there after I was electrocuted. In that weakened state, I was no good to anyone, and less use if I was incinerated, which is what, I suspect, happened to your protégés. Speaking of them, aren't you upset by their loss?"

Horates drew to his full height and cracked his knuckles as he stretched. "Not at all. I weeded out a man from the boys, now, didn't I?"

Frank held Horates in a wary gaze. Horates chuckled. "No need to be suspicious, Grindavor. I'm genuine in my praise for you. Keep this up, and you'll upgrade to one of my elite forces."

Frank had not heard his demon name used in a while, having spent so much time in the shadows or above ground spying on the witches. He was reluctant to tell his name, human or demonic, to anyone, lest it somehow meet the ears of a witch determined to vanquish him. But Horates was not a demon to be trifled with and so he had come clean on his demonic history. Still, for some reason, perhaps to break him in, Horates had sent him on this suicide mission. Frank only hoped he had proven his worth, as that was an uncomfortably close brush with death he just had.

"What next?" Frank asked, hesitantly taking Horates's hand. The Egyptian helped him up and then started moving over to his Alter.

"For now, I merely want information. Tell me all about Belthazar's powers, and those of the infant. The more we know, the better prepared we can be next time."

"The Charmed Ones will find you. They have techniques of following demonic leads," Frank began, hoping to deter Horates from any more attempts.

Horates simpered and knelt at his Alter, performing a brief protection rite. "You needn't worry about my safety. I have taken precautions. And I intend to lie low for a while. With your knowledge, I can start planning for the future."

******************************

"Okay, I need to get back to the Penthouse and scoop up some of those ashes and see if I can get a reading off them," Phoebe said while gathering a few scraps of paper on which she'd jotted down some spells.

"Phoebe, you can't run away from this. You need to make up your mind about what you're going to do," Piper admonished. "They're going to be grilling Leo and his next stop is going to be down here with a metaphorical gun to his head."

"Cole, let's go," Phoebe latched onto her husband's arm.

"Phoebe, don't put this off!" Piper cried.

Phoebe and Cole looked set to leave when Piper grabbed Phoebe by the shoulder. "Look before you shimmer out, at least take the Drawing Stone. Have it handy, just in case you're forced to make a choice. If I know you two, and I think I do by now, you're more inclined to opt to soften Sky's powers than bind or strip them altogether."

Phoebe cast down her eyes solemnly and then opened her hand. "Okay."

Piper placed the stone in her sister's hand and watched them shimmer away. "Augh," she sighed. "What are they _doing_?"

* * *

Back at the Penthouse, Phoebe went for where she expected the ashes to be and Cole investigated the apartment to make sure it was demon free.

"What the hell?"

Cole heard his partner's cry echo through the apartment. As he came into the living area, he realized why.

"The ash piles. They're gone!" Phoebe pointed at clean floors.

"Not even a smudge. I've never seen demon ash just vanish. Sometimes they leave in a poof with no trace but there were definitely ash piles here when we left!"

Cole scratched his head and stared at the floors in confusion. "Someone must have cleaned up while we were away," he said.

"Someone who doesn't want to be found," Phoebe added.

"Well for the moment we can assume he's busy covering his tracks, whoever he is. We need to focus on our immediate problem," Cole reminded.

Phoebe nodded. "Yes, we do. But don't worry, I think I have a plan."

"Really? Care to elaborate?" Cole began but was interrupted by a blue set of lights. Leo had orbed in and he wasn't alone. A robed man, almost bald and clearly aged, had come down with him.

"Where are the children?" the man asked.

"Who the heck are you?" Cole demanded, taking a hostile step forward.

"This is Elder Ronan," Leo quickly explained. "And I'll go fetch Sky and Crystal."

"Wait, Leo, what is he---" Phoebe started but Leo had already orbed out, ashen-faced.

"Leo can do nothing for you. You're under our jurisdiction now," Ronan said calmly.

"Like hell we are! Who do you think you are coming in her and telling me how to raise my son?" Cole almost yelled. Phoebe squeezed his arm. "Easy does it, Cole. Easy…". She hoped he understood. To her relief, he backed down a little.

"When you joined with a witch, you joined with all their attachments, and we are an undeniable element to their existence. If you don't like it, Belthazar, you can leave."

"Oh yeah? Try making me," Cole growled, face flushing hot with rage. Phoebe squeezed his arm again. "His name is Cole now, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't make him feel unwelcome. He's part of our family," Phoebe defended.

"Precisely why he needs to accept that as a family you have certain obligations. We are not enforcing this change to punish you, we are looking out for the safety of your son, yourselves, and the future of magic. No witch child should hold within him that much dark magic. It is far too dangerous."

Cole clenched his fists but resisted from lashing out again, feeling Phoebe once again squeeze his arm. She clearly wanted him to stay calm for a reason and he trusted her.

Leo then orbed in with a sleeping Crystal in his arms and Sky sleepily holding onto his leg.

Ronan cast a glance in the children's direction and then turned back to the parents. "You must now perform a power binding spell, or brew a potion to strip him of them. I will bear witness to that."

"What about the Drawing Stone? I thought that was an option, too," Phoebe stated.

"It still is, although given the recent surge in your son's powers, we were beginning to think it no longer a strong enough force…"

"Hey you can't present us with three choices yesterday and then cut one out today. I don't care who you are, that's totally unfair," Cole said angrily.

"We have it right here," Phoebe said and opened her palm. Sky immediately recoiled and hid behind Leo's leg.

Ronan was not amused by the child's reaction. "Already he shies away from it. I only hope it is not too late to use it on him."

"We will disguise it, cloak it if we have to. But you can bear witness to this," Phoebe said as she walked over to Sky's crib.

"I am placing it right here. And I will keep it there and you can drop by whenever you darn well please to check it's still there."

Cole just stared at his wife, barely managing to contain an outburst. But he felt that she knew what she was doing. Ronan looked at her suspiciously.

"I must have your word that this is what you will do. Otherwise, there will be consequences."

"You have my word. I will keep this stone by his crib and his playpen for the next two years. I'd rather that than take away his powers altogether."

"Very well. Do expect us to "drop in" as you put it, from time to time, to make sure things are in order. And do not forget, Phoebe and Cole, we are doing this for your own benefit. In fact, for everyone's." With those words, the Elder orbed away.

A heavy silence filled the air. Finally, Leo spoke up. "Phoebe I'm so sorry. There was nothing I could do to change their minds."

"It's okay, Leo," Phoebe said, taking Crystal from him. She pecked him affectionately on the cheek. "We know you did all you can."

Cole came over and took Sky up in his arms. The infant was looking warily at the smooth stone at the base of one of the legs of his crib.

"Are you sure you're gonna be all right here tonight?" Leo asked.

"We'll be fine," Phoebe said tiredly. "Go home. It's best you're on hand to help Piper in case the Manor gets attacked next."

With a defeated expression, Leo orbed out.

Putting Crystal in her crib, Phoebe said to Cole, "Can you take Sky back a few paces?"

"Yes, but why…?"

"You'll see," she said enigmatically.

Taking a scrap of paper from her pocket, she leaned over the stone and whispered:

"With these words I will expunge

The power from this magic sponge

And banish them with this spell

Leaving just an empty shell."

An orb of yellow light rose from the stone and dissipated in the air. The stone had risen a few centimetres off the ground but once the light disappeared it dropped, making a flat, dead sound on the floor.

Phoebe straightened up from her hunched position and looked at her stunned husband. "Inspired from something out of the Book of Shadows. Now let's just hope," she said very softly, "That no one up there heard it."

Cole nodded almost imperceptibly and Sky relaxed in his arms. The infant raised no fuss at being put in his crib, knowing now that the Drawing stone had no power left to soften his.

As the couple gazed down at their son, Phoebe said quietly, "We're going to need Julia's tutoring more than ever, now."

*************************************

Across the city, in a cheerfully decorated apartment, a demon was summoned.

"This will be the last time we meet at this location," he was told. "It is too dangerous and we need to arrange another place to gather. Somewhere public. I don't want you leading the witches or any demons, for that matter, to this place. It might blow my cover."

Frank folded his arms and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Excuse me from dropping in when I had nowhere else to go, what being electrocuted at all."

"You're very fortunate that you were summoned away from here and that Horates didn't come to collect you personally. If he had discovered you are working with me, everything could be ruined. You and I need to meet less in future. Only when it is absolutely necessary."

"Understood," Frank said, gazing around his surroundings. "Gee, I love what you've done with the place. Made up like a true mortal."

"Only for a while. When you have lived as long as I have, being mortal for seven years doesn't seem too long a stretch. And it is necessary, in case the witches come by unexpectedly one day. I must keep up appearances."

"And stay human lest the little tyke use his Evil Revealer on you," Frank said, holding up his hands and wriggling his fingers for creepy effect.

"All the more reason to keep me out of the path of danger. Until he comes of age, I am vulnerable. Now go. I believe you have made it into the inner circle of Horates's clan," she said.

"I'm making progress in that direction," Frank replied and shimmered out.

In his wake, the Seer smiled.

***************************************


End file.
